From Spank Rock to Kate Moross, Geoff Barrow to Danja, our cover feature this week looks at the 50 most forward-thinking individuals in music today. If these names don’t mean much to you, they will soon. Especially if you buy this week’s mag.

Cajun Dance Party look set to join the elite ranks of Guns N’ Roses, System Of A Down and, erm, Thrice, as they get set to release two albums in a year. Find out what NME made of the first offering in this week’s mag.

Reverend And The Makers’ frontman Jon McClure started his gig at the Sheffield Carling Academy by declaring Carling "bullshit" and tearing down a ‘No Crowdsurfing’ sign, signalling the start of a typically anarchic gig. Find out what else went down in our live review.
Pic: Danny North

Muse recently played London’s Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust. It was a "cataclysmic clash" of Rachmaninoff and Rage Against The Machine, according to NME’s Mark Beaumont, who was on the frontline and reporting for the Live section.
Pic: Andy willsher

Ex Test-Icicle now Lightspeed Champion Dev Hynes is among our Future 50 this week. Find out how he – along with Crystal Castles, Adem and eMusic – are changing the future of music in this week’s NME.
Pic: Sam Jones

We’ve got a ground-breaking NME for you this week. In our new ‘The Future 50’ list we look at the most forward-thinking bands, artists and innovators driving music forwards in 2008. There’s also a free European festivals pull-out guide, Muse and Reverend And The Makers reviewed live, plus 587 gigs listed in the country’s biggest gig guide.